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Bone marrow donor drive for ill 10-year-old Thursday at his school

The odds aren't in 10-year-old Aden Knar's favor, but that's not stopping his school from trying to help him beat them. Aden, a third-grader at Falcon Virtual Academy in Falcon School District 49, needs a bone marrow transplant to overcome his cancer, and there are no matches on the worldwide...

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The odds aren't in 10-year-old Aden Knar's favor, but that's not stopping his school from trying to help him beat them.

Aden, a third-grader at Falcon Virtual Academy in Falcon School District 49, needs a bone marrow transplant to overcome his cancer, and there are no matches on the worldwide registry of potential donors.

To find out, Falcon Virtual Academy will host a bone marrow donor drive from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the school, 6113 Constitution Ave., directly west of Care and Share Food Bank.

"We can make a difference, not only to Aden, but those around the world," said Assistant Principal Jodi Fletcher, who's leading the donor drive. "We're that school that says, 'Why can't we,' instead of 'We can't.'"

Aden was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 4 and successfully treated with extensive chemotherapy. He was in remission for five years, until the Knar family learned two months ago that the disease had returned and is isolated in his bone marrow.

Additional chemotherapy will not cure Aden, doctors have told him, and he needs a bone marrow transplant as soon as possible. Potential donors wanting to be tested must be between 18 and 44 years old to be eligible.

Active-duty military who want to get involved must register with the Department of Defense. A representative will be available during the donor drive from 5 to 6 p.m. Go to https://www.salutetolife.org/joinus.html for information on military involvement.

Go to www.bethematch.org for more information on the screening process and bone marrow donation procedure.